When a Pool Needs More Than One Room, the Shed Has to Deliver

Anyone who manages a pool knows the problem: the gear piles up in one corner of the yard, the change area is a towel thrown over a chair, and the whole situation quietly drives you a little bit crazy. This London homeowner wanted both problems solved in one structure. The goal was a 16x6 Essential Shed that could pull double duty: one side for pool equipment storage, the other as a proper changing room.That meant the build had to be narrow enough to fit the space, long enough to divide cleanly, and finished well enough that it looked like it belonged in the yard rather than being an afterthought. Backyard Escape Studios handled the dividing wall as an upgrade, framing the interior into two distinct zones from the start.

Jet Black Steel and Charcoal Pine: Two Materials That Know How to Work Together

The right, left, and back walls are clad in 7/8" corrugated steel in Jet Black. In direct sunlight, that steel reads as a deep, cool graphite, with the corrugated ridges casting thin horizontal shadows that give the surface movement and texture. In overcast conditions, it pulls closer to true black, dense and flat. Either way, it holds the yard without competing with it. The front wall is a different material entirely: 1x6 horizontal premium tight-knot pine tongue-and-groove panelling, stained Kendall Charcoal. That stain takes the natural warmth out of the pine and pushes it into a cooler grey range, close in tone to the steel but noticeably softer in finish. The wood grain still reads underneath. Standing in front of the shed, you get two versions of the same colour palette: one hard and industrial, one organic and calm. The exposed rafters in the soffits are finished in Black Beauty, which bridges the two. It ties the roofline to the steel cladding without making the whole structure feel heavy.

One Shed, Two Rooms: A Changing Room and Pool Equipment Storage Built In

Most pool sheds are just storage with a door. This one is something different. The interior is divided by a framed wall into two fully separate zones: one side for the pool equipment, pumps, chemicals, and gear, and the other side a dedicated changing room with its own door access. That division was built into the structure from the start, not added as an afterthought.The two 36x80 full-glass frosted outswing doors sit side by side on the front wall, one for each room. That's what makes the layout work: each space gets its own entrance. The frosted glass brings natural light into both sides without sacrificing privacy in the changing room. It's a practical solution that also looks deliberate and considered from the outside.This kind of interior planning is rare in a 16-foot shed. Getting two genuinely usable, separate rooms out of that footprint takes careful framing from the start, and it changes what a backyard pool setup can actually look like.

A Pool Shed That Fits the Way London Homeowners Actually Live

London homeowners with pools in the city's south end, from Westminster to Lambeth to Byron, tend to have yards where every square foot has a job. A structure like this one, compact at 16 feet wide and purpose-divided inside, fits into that kind of property without dominating it. It handles the gear, handles the changing, and finishes well enough to hold its own next to a pool deck.

Backyard Escape Studios builds custom pool sheds and backyard structures across London and the surrounding area, including communities like Komoka, Strathroy, Ilderton, Lucan, and St. Thomas. We also serve homeowners throughout Middlesex County and into Elgin County, as well as Sarnia, Chatham, and Woodstock for clients looking for a custom shed builder in southwestern Ontario. If you're searching for a pool shed company near London or a modern backyard shed installer in the region, this is the kind of work we do.